Transaction card

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a process for producing an opaque, transparent or translucent transaction card having multiple features, such as a holographic foil, integrated circuit chip, silver magnetic stripe with text on the magnetic stripe, opacity gradient, an invisible optically recognizable compound, a translucent signature field such that the signature on back of the card is visible from the front of the card and an active thru date on the front of the card. The invisible optically recognizable compound is an infrared ink and/or film, which can be detected by a sensor found in an ATM or card assembly line.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application is a continuation-in-part application ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, filed Jan. 31, 2001, which is acontinuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/653,837, filed Sep. 1, 2000 and further claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/153,112, filed Sep. 7, 1999; U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/160,519, filed Oct. 20, 1999; U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/167,405, filed Nov. 24, 1999; U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 60/171,689, filed Dec. 21, 1999 andU.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/652,899, entitled “Methods AndApparatus For Conducting Electronic Transactions” filed Aug. 31, 2000.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates generally to a transaction card,and more particularly, to the fabrication and use of an opticallyrecognizable transparent or translucent transaction card that maycontain a hologram, magnetic stripe or integrated circuit as well asother transaction card constituents.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The proliferation of transaction cards, which allow thecardholder to pay with credit rather than cash, started in the UnitedStates in the early 1950s. Initial transaction cards were typicallyrestricted to select restaurants and hotels and were often limited to anexclusive class of individuals. Since the introduction of plastic creditcards, the use of transaction cards have rapidly proliferated from theUnited States, to Europe, and then to the rest of the world. Transactioncards are not only information carriers, but also typically allow aconsumer to pay for goods and services without the need to constantlypossess cash, or if a consumer needs cash, transaction cards allowaccess to funds through an automatic teller machine (ATM). Transactioncards also reduce the exposure to the risk of cash loss through theftand reduce the need for currency exchanges when traveling to variousforeign countries. Due to the advantages of transaction cards, hundredsof millions of cards are now produced and issued annually, therebyresulting in need for companies to differentiate their cards fromcompetitor's cards.

[0004] Initially, the transaction cards often included the issuer'sname, the cardholder's name, the card number, and the expiration dateembossed onto the card. The cards also usually included a signaturefield on the back of the card for the cardholder to provide a signatureto protect against forgery and tempering. Thus, the initial cards merelyserved as devices to provide data to merchants and the only securityassociated with the card was the comparison of the cardholder'ssignature on the card to the cardholder's signature on a receipt alongwith the embossed cardholder name on the card. However, many merchantsoften forget to verify the signature on the receipt with the signatureon the card.

[0005] Due to the popularity of transaction cards, numerous companies,banks, airlines, trade groups, sporting teams, clubs and otherorganizations have developed their own transaction cards. As such, manycompanies continually attempt to differentiate their transaction cardsand increase market share not only by offering more attractive financingrates and low initiation fees, but also by offering unique,aesthetically pleasing features on the transaction cards. As such, manytransaction cards included not only demographic and account information,but the transaction cards also include graphic images, designs,photographs and security features. A recent security feature is theincorporation of a diffraction grating, or holographic image, into thetransaction card which appears to be three dimensional and whichsubstantially restricts the ability to fraudulently copy or reproducetransaction cards because of the need for extremely complex systems andapparatus for producing holograms. A hologram is produced by interferingtwo or more beams of light, namely an object beam and reference beam,onto a photoemulsion to thereby record the interference pattern producedby the interfering beams of light. The object beam is a coherent beamreflected from, or transmitted through, the object to be recorded, suchas a company logo, globe, character or animal. The reference beam isusually a coherent, collimated light beam with a spherical wave front.After recording the interference pattern, a similar wavelength referencebeam is used to produce a holographic image by reconstructing the imagefrom the interference pattern.

[0006] However, in typical situations, a similar laser beam is notavailable to reconstruct the image from the interference pattern on thecard. As such, the hologram should be able to be viewed with ordinary,white light. Thus, when a hologram is recorded onto a transaction card,the image to be recorded is placed near the surface of the substrate toallow the resulting hologram to be visible in ordinary, white light.These holograms are known as reflective surface holograms or rainbowholograms. A reflective hologram can be mass-produced on metallic foiland subsequently stamped onto transaction cards. Moreover, theincorporation of holograms onto transaction cards provides a morereliable method of determining the authenticity of the transaction cardin ordinary white light, namely by observing if the hologram has theillusion of depth and changing colors.

[0007] Administrative and security issues, such as charges, credits,merchant settlement, fraud, reimbursements, etc., have increased due tothe increasing use of transaction cards. Thus, the transaction cardindustry started to develop more sophisticated transaction cards whichallowed the electronic reading, transmission, and authorization oftransaction card data for a variety of industries. For example, magneticstripe cards, optical cards, smart cards, calling cards, and supersmartcards have been developed to meet the market demand for expandedfeatures, functionality, and security. In addition to the visual data,the incorporation of a magnetic stripe on the back of a transaction cardallows digitized data to be stored in machine readable form. As such,magnetic stripe reader are used in conjunction with magnetic stripecards to communicate purchase data received from a cash register deviceon-line to a host computer along with the transmission of data stored inthe magnetic stripe, such as account information and expiration date.

[0008] Due to the susceptibility of the magnetic stripe to tampering,the lack of confidentiality of the information within the magneticstripe and the problems associated with the transmission of data to ahost computer, integrated circuits were developed which could beincorporated into transaction cards. These integrated circuit (IC)cards, known as smart cards, proved to be very reliable in a variety ofindustries due to their advanced security and flexibility for futureapplications.

[0009] As magnetic stripe cards and smart cards developed, the marketdemanded international standards for the cards. The card's physicaldimensions, features and embossing area were standardized under theInternational Standards Organization (“ISO”), ISO 7810 and ISO 7811. Theissuer's identification, the location of particular compounds, codingrequirements, and recording techniques were standardized in ISO 7812 andISO 7813, while chip card standards were established in ISO 7813. Forexample, ISO 7811 defines the standards for the magnetic stripe which isa 0.5 inch stripe located either in the front or rear surface of thecard which is divided into three longitudinal parallel tracks. The firstand second tracks hold read-only information with room for 79 alphanumeric characters and 40 numeric characters, respectively. The thirdtrack is reserved for financial transactions and includes encipheredversions of the user's personal identification number, country code,currency units, amount authorized per cycle, subsidiary accounts, andrestrictions. More information regarding the features and specificationsof transaction cards can be found in, for example, Smart Cards by JoseLuis Zoreda and Jose Manuel Oton, 1994; Smart Card Handbook by W. Rankland W. Effing, 1997, and the various ISO standards for transaction cardsavailable from ANSI (American National Standards Institute), 11 West42nd Street, New York, N.Y. 10036, the entire contents of all of thesepublications are herein incorporated by reference.

[0010] The incorporation of machine-readable components ontotransactions cards encouraged the proliferation of devices to simplifytransactions by automatically reading from and/or writing ontotransaction cards. Such devices include, for example, bar code scanners,magnetic stripe readers, point of sale terminals (POS), automated tellermachines (ATM) and card-key devices. With respect to ATMs, the totalnumber of ATM devices shipped in 1999 is 179,274 (based on NilsonReports data) including the ATMs shipped by the top ATM manufacturers,namely NCR (138-18 231st Street, Laurelton, N.Y. 11413), Diebold (5995Mayfair, North Canton, Ohio 44720-8077), Fujitsu (11085 N. Torrey PinesRoad, La Jolla, Calif. 92037), Omron (Japan), OKI (Japan) and Triton.

[0011] Many of the card acceptance devices require that the transactioncard be inserted into the device such that the device can appropriatelyalign its reading head with the relevant component of the transactioncard. Particularly, many ATMs require that a transaction card besubstantially inserted into a slot in the ATM. After insertion of thecard into the slot, the ATM may have an additional mechanical device forfurther retracting the transaction card into the ATM slot. To activatethe ATM, the ATM typically includes a sensor, such as a phototransistorand a light emitting diode (LED), which emits light onto a card surfaceand the phototransistor receives light from the LED. A card blocks theinfrared radiation from the phototransistor, therefore indicating that acard has been detected. A typical LED in an ATM is an IRED (infraredemitting diode) source having a wavelength in the range of about 820-920nm or 900-1000 nm (see FIG. 5), which is not present in ambient light atthe levels needed by a phototransistor sensor. The spectral sensitivitycurve of the typical phototransistor is in the range of about 400nm-1100 nm (see FIG. 6). However, the visible spectrum is about 400nm-700 nm, and the spectral sensitivity of the phototransistor is about60% at 950 nm and 90% at 840 nm. Thus, visible light is not part of theanalog-to-digital algorithm. Moreover, ISO 7810, clause 8.10 requiresthat all machine readable cards have an optical transmission densityfrom 450 nm-950 nm, greater than 1.3 (less than 5% transmission) andfrom 950 nm-1000 nm, greater than 1.1 (less than 7.9% transmission).

[0012] For the card to be detected by the ATM, the light is typicallyblocked by the card body. Moreover, the amount of light necessary to beblocked by a card is related to the voltage data received from theanalog to digital conversion. The voltage range of the sensor istypically in a range of about 1.5V to 4.5V. When a card is inserted intoa sensor, the voltage drops to less than 1.5V indicating the presence ofa card in the transport system. After the card is detected by thephototransistor, the magnetic stripe reader scans the magnetic stripeand acquires the information recorded on the magnetic stripe. Amanufacturer of the LED sensor device in an ATM is, for example, Omronand Sankyo-Seiki of Japan, 4800 Great America Parkway, Suite 201, SantaClara, Calif. 95054.

[0013] As previously mentioned, transaction cards and readers typicallyfollow various ISO standards which specifically set forth the locationof card data and compounds. However, because numerous companies producedifferent versions of ATMs, the location of the sensor within the ATM isnot subject to standardization requirements. In the past, the varyinglocations of the sensor within the ATM did not affect the ability of theATM to sense the transaction card because the transaction card includeda substantially opaque surface, such that any portion of the opaquetransaction card could interrupt the IRED emission and activate theinsert phototransistor. However, more recently, to provide a uniqueimage, and to meet consumer demand, companies have attempted to developtransparent or translucent transaction cards. The use of a transparentcard would often not activate the insert phototransistor because theIRED emission would not sufficiently reflect off of a transparentsurface, so the radiation would simply travel through the card andbecome detected by the phototransistor. The machine, therefore, couldnot detect the presence of the card, and often jammed the equipment.

[0014] In an attempt to solve this problem, companies have printedopaque areas onto transparent cards in an effort to provide an opaquearea to activate the input sensors on ATMs. However, due to theaforementioned variations in the location of the sensor in many ATMs,the use of limited opaque areas on a transparent card did not allow thecard to activate the sensor in a sufficient number of ATMs.Alternatively, companies attempted to incorporate a lens onto atransaction card in an effort to redirect the LED light. However, duringthe card manufacture process, which often involves substantial pressureand heat, the lensing surface would be disrupted or destroyed. As such,a need exists for a transparent or translucent transaction card which iscapable of activating an input sensor, wherein the input sensor mayinterface the card in a variety of locations.

[0015] Furthermore, during the card fabrication process, the cards mustbe detected on the assembly line in order to accurately count the numberof cards produced during a predetermined time interval. To count thecards, typical card fabrication assembly lines include counters with LEDsensors, similar to the ATM sensors, which count the cards based uponthe reflection of the LED light beam off of the opaque card surface. Theproduction of transparent transaction cards suffers from similarlimitations as ATM devices in that the LED beam does not reflect or isnot sufficiently absorbed from a transparent surface. Thus, atransparent card is needed that can be produced on existing assemblylines. Similar problems exist when cards are punched to finaldimensions.

[0016] Although existing systems may allow for the identification anddetection of articles, most contain a number of drawbacks. For example,identification features based on UV, visible light detection, etc. aresometimes difficult to view, often require certain lighting requirementsand typically depend on the distance between the article and thedetection device. Additionally, the use of certain types of plastic,paper or other material which contain the identification mark may belimited by the particular identification device. For example, opaquematerials typically deactivate the phototransistors in ATM's by blockinglight in both the visible (near IR) and far IR light regions.Furthermore, the incorporation of a detection or authentication featureinto a card product requires a separate material or process step duringthe card fabrication process. The incorporation of a new material orprocess step often requires expensive modifications to current equipmentor new equipment and often extends the time for fabricating the cardproduct.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The present invention relates to a process for producing atransparent or translucent transaction card having any one or morefeatures, such as a holographic foil, integrated circuit chip, silvermagnetic stripe with text on the magnetic stripe, opacity gradient, anoptically recognizable ink or film contained within the construction ofthe card, a translucent signature field such that the signature on backof the card is visible from the front of the card and an “active thru”date on the front of the card. The card is optically recognizable due toan invisible or transparent infrared ink or film which is distributedover the card's surface, thereby allowing the card to block (absorb,refract, diffuse and/or reflect) infrared light and transmit all otherlight. Particularly, when the transaction card is inserted into an ATMdevice, the light beam from the IRED is blocked by the infrared ink orfilm, thereby deactivating the phototransistor. Moreover, during themanufacturer of transaction cards, the optically recognizable cardallows an IRED light beam from a personalization device, inspection unitor counter device to count the number of transaction cards produced inan assembly line.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

[0018] A more complete understanding of the present invention may bederived by referring to the detailed description and claims whenconsidered in connection with the following illustrative figures, whichmay not be to scale. In the following figures, like reference numbers orsteps refer to similar compounds throughout the figures.

[0019]FIG. 1 is a front view of an exemplary transaction card inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0020]FIG. 2 is a back view of an exemplary transaction card inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0021]FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of the card fabrication process inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0022]FIG. 4 is a graph of energy v. wavelength for the reflection andtransmission of IR film in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention;

[0023]FIG. 5 is a graph of a typical IRED (infrared emitting diode)source in an ATM having a wavelength in the range of about 820-920 nm or900-1000 nm in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0024]FIG. 6 is a graph of a spectral sensitivity curve of a typicalphototransistor having a wavelength in the range of about 400 nm-1100 nmin accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] FIGS. 7A-7I show various embodiments of card layers in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0026]FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary sensor mechanismwithin an ATM in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0027]FIG. 9 is an exemplary reflection and transmission monitor withvarious optical components for vacuum evaporation in-line roll coatingoperations for monitoring the IR film in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention;

[0028]FIG. 10 shows an exemplary system for chemical vapor deposition ofPET film in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0029]FIG. 11 shows exemplary embodiments of layers for cardconstruction in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0030]FIG. 12A shows exemplary film bond strengths on a graph ofstrength (lb/in) v. film bond for various film bonds in accordance withan exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0031]FIG. 12B shows exemplary bond strengths at the film interfaces ona graph of strength (lb/in) v. film interface for various filminterfaces in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0032]FIG. 13 shows exemplary IR ink ingredients which exhibit a greencolor in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0033]FIG. 14 shows measurements related to these exemplary green cardsin accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0034]FIG. 15 shows exemplary ATM test results for the exemplary greencards in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0035]FIG. 16 shows an example of the transmission density of exemplarygreen cards in a graph of percent transmission v. wavelength inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and,

[0036] FIGS. 17A-17I show exemplary test results for various cardembodiments in a graph of percent transmission v. wavelength (nm) inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DETAILED EMBODIMENTS

[0037] In general, the present invention allows for the identificationand detection of various articles, wherein the articles includematerials having machine recognizable compounds. The articles include,for example, transaction cards, documents, papers and/or the like. Thematerials include, for example, coatings, films, threads, plastics,inks, fibers, paper, planchettes, and/or the like.

[0038] In an exemplary embodiment, the machine recognizable compoundsare optically recognizable compounds containing infrared blocking(absorbing, refracting, diffusing, reflecting or otherwise blocking)ingredients. The optically recognizable compounds may be invisible,visible, or colored to produce a desired effect and/or they may containother detectable compounds, such as, for example, UV-Fluorescent orIR-Fluorescent features. The optical compounds preferably have goodstability, resistance properties, durability and other physicalproperties, such as good appearance, flexibility, hardness, solventresistance, water resistance, corrosion resistance and exteriorstability. Moreover, the use of such compounds typically does notinterfere with UV compounds that may be present in many substrates. Oneskilled in the art will appreciate that the optically recognizablecompound is any chemical, solution, dye, ink substrate, material and/orthe like which is recognizable by a sensor. In an exemplary embodiment,the optically recognizable ink is an infrared ink which blocks, absorbsor reflects most infrared light, but transmits most other wavelengths oflight.

[0039] In an exemplary embodiment, the optically recognizable compoundis incorporated into a material in the form of a film, plastic, fiber,ink, concentrate, thermoplastic or thermoset matrix, thread, planchette,and/or other medium which contains in the range of about 0.001 to 40.0wt. (%) of a compound derived from organic or inorganic materials. Theinfrared ink may be applied to card 5 (see FIG. 1) by, for example, ascreen printing process or any other printing or coating means such aslithography, gravure, flexo, calender coating, curtain coating, rollercoating and/or the like. An exemplary screen printing process utilizes ascreen press equipped with drying equipment (UV curable or convectionheat) and a screen with a specific mesh size of about 80 lines/cm. TheIR ink is printed across any portion of the entire card surface ofplastic using a silk screen press, as described below.

[0040] Because the relative eye sensitivity of an ordinary observer fora specified level of illumination is between around 400-770 nm, infraredink at over 770 nm is preferable because it is invisible to the humaneye in normal white light. As such, the invisible infrared material willnot substantially obscure the transparent surface of card 5.Additionally, the exemplary ink withstands card production temperaturesof about 200F. to 400F. degrees and includes a “light fastness period”(which is the resistance of the ink to fade or degrade in the presenceof any light, and specifically, UV light) of about at least three yearsunder normal credit card usage conditions. Moreover, the exemplary inkblocks, absorbs or reflects the spectral output of IRED's, such as, forexample, the Sankyo Seiki LED's, which is about 800-1000 nm. Theexemplary ink also limits the light reaching the phototransistors, sothe presence of a clear card having the ink is detected in a transactionmachine, such as, for example, a card grabbing-type ATM machine.

[0041] Exemplary compositions of the machine recognizable compounds ofthe present invention comprise a mixture of a wide variety of compounds.The active compounds are derived of inorganic, organometallic, oreorganic layered materials or rare earth compounds, most commonly rareearth oxides, oxysulfides or oxyhalides. The compounds are relativelyinert, so the effects on the performance properties of the final productare minimized. The infrared compound comprises either a dye, layeredmaterial, pigment and/or encapsulated pigment that is dispersed in aparticular medium which can be incorporated into a wide variety ofend-usable products. The particle size of the infrared compound allowsthe materials (plastic, thread, ink, etc.) to optimally dispersed ordissolved and uniformly exist within the articles which it isincorporated.

[0042] Conventionally known infrared materials comprising layereddielectric and metallic materials or doped rare-earth materials can beeffectively used as pigments for compounds in accordance with exemplaryembodiments of the present invention. In this context, the pigments ordyes absorb specific wavelengths of energy and may change one wavelengthof energy to another. The energy conversions or absorptions may be aboveor below any stimulation within the electromagnetic spectrum. Thecompounds may absorb specific wavelengths of light or change from onecolor to another or the compounds may change from invisible to visibleand/or the like. The infrared compounds of the present invention arethus incorporated into a system which reversibly changes one wavelengthof energy to another, hence causing a “fingerprint”-type of detectablefeature within the articles.

[0043] Moreover, the prepared films or materials can be mixed with abinder to form infrared compounds for use in threads, fibers, coatings,and the like. Binders that can be incorporated in the present inventioninclude conventional additives such as waxes, thermoplastic resins,thermoset resins, rubbers, natural resins or synthetic resins. Suchexamples of such binders are, polypropylene, nylon, polyester,ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl acetate, polyethylene,chlorinated rubber, acrylic, epoxy, butadiene-nitrile, shellac, zein,cellulose, polyurethane, polyvinylbutyrate, vinyl chloride, silicone,polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl methyl ether, nitrocellulose, polyamide,bismaleimide, polyimide, epoxy-polyester hybrid and/or the like. Filmsthat can be used include polyester, polyvinylchloride, polypropylene,polyethylene, acrylic, polycarbonate and/or the like. As discussedbelow, any film can be laminated or adhered to common card articlesusing heat, adhesives, or a combination of both.

[0044] If the content of the compound is too low, adequate blocking maynot be achieved and the phototransistor may not send the proper signalto the capture device, which will mean that the card will not bedetected. Therefore, the infrared compounds are usually present in thecomposition at a total amount from about 1 PPM to 80.0 wt. (%), andpreferably from about 0.25%-25.0% by weight. Moreover, the presentinvention contemplates that other materials such as, for example, UVabsorbers, reflectors, antioxidants, and/or optical brighteners, may beadd in order to achieve better resistance properties, aesthetics, orlongevity of the materials.

[0045] Particularly, other materials may be added to allow for colorshifts from one color to another color after stimulation. Commonlyemployed materials such as dyes, pigments, fluorescent dyes, luminouspigments, and/or the like, can be used to promote reversible colorchanges from one color state to another color state. Such materials canbe incorporated directly with the infrared compounds during initialprocessing or may be added after the infrared compounds have beenprocessed. The use of materials such as solvents, water, glycols, and/orthe like can be added to adjust rhelogical properties of the material.Also, the use of surfactants, defoamers, release agents, adhesionpromoters, leveling agents, and/or the like may be added to theformulations for improved processing properties. Optical brighteningmaterials may also be added to ensure whiteness in a colorless state andto maintain a low level of contrast between many substrates whereinfrared compounds are located.

[0046] Fibers of various materials are used either in a continuousmanner or single fibers can be incorporated into a wide variety ofmaterials. The present invention contemplates, for example, naturalfibers, synthetic fibers, copolymer fibers, chemical fibers, metalfibers, and/or the like. Examples of these fibers may be nylon,polyester, cotton, wool, silk, casein fiber, protein fiber, acetalyatedstaple, ethyl cellulose, polyvinylidene chloride, polyurethane, acetate,polyvinyl alcohol, triacetate, glass, wood, rock wool, carbon, inorganicfibers, and/or the like. Such fibers can be incorporated or mixed intoother types of materials such as paper pulp, plastic label stock,plastic materials, and the like. Such materials can be used alone in acontinuous manner or can be used as mono- or di-filaments in othermaterials.

[0047] Moreover, the infrared materials that are incorporated intoplastics can be used with a wide variety of materials, such as, forexample, nylon, acrylic, epoxy, polyester, bismaleimide, polyamide,polyimide, styrene, silicone, vinyl, ABS, polycarbonate, nitrile, and/orthe like. As such, the compounds that are incorporated into fibers,plastics, film and/or the like, may be processed directly to a suitableform in a single- or multi-process application. Such compounds can beadded into a formulation in the form of a single ingredient or in theform of a master-batch that is then processed in a similar manner tonormal processing operations of compounds. Processing of such compoundsincludes the use of continuous mixers, two- or three-roll mills,extrusion, and/or other melt-compounding methods of dispersion. While inan exemplary embodiment, the thread can be woven or non-woven, theinfrared materials may be extruded directly into a thermoplastic matrixand drawn directly into the form of a thread that can be used in acontinuous manner or sectioned in the form of a fiber or plastic film.

[0048] The exemplary infrared compounds are deposited onto films ofvarious compositions and can be used in most card applications.Moreover, the infrared compounds in accordance with the presentinvention can be used alone or blended with other materials at rangesfrom 0.001 to 50.0 parts by weight, but most preferable from 1.0 to 15.0parts by weight.

[0049] A particularly preferred infrared compound is a multilayerpolymeric film manufactured by 3M Company (Minneapolis, Minn.), anddescribed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,882,774 entitled “Optical Film”, 6,045,894entitled “Clear to Colored Security Film”, and 6,049,419 entitled“Multilayer Infrared Reflecting Optical Body”, each of which isincorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Specifically, themultilayer polymeric film is either a birefringement dielectricmultilayer film or an isotropic dielectric multilayer film designed toreflect infrared radiation, i.e., electromagnetic radiation commonlyknown to have a wavelength longer than visible light, specifically aboveabout 700 nm.

[0050] The particularly preferred film utilized in the present inventioncomprises at least two layers and is a dielectric optical film havingalternating layers of a material having a high index of refraction and amaterial having a low index of refraction. Although the film may beeither birefringement or isoptropic, it is preferably birefringement,and is designed to allow the construction of multilayer stacks for whichthe Brewster angle is very large or is nonexistent for the polymer layerinterfaces. This feature allows for the construction of multilayermirrors and polarizers whose reflectivity for p-polarized lightdecreases slowly with angle of incidence, is independent of angle ofincidence, or increases with angle of incidence away from the normal. Asa result, the multilayer films have high reflectivity over a widebandwidth.

[0051] Specific examples of such films are described in U.S. patent Ser.No. 08/402,201, filed Mar. 10, 1995, and U.S. patent Ser. No. 09/006,601entitled “Modified Copolyesters and Improved Multilayer ReflectiveFilm”, filed on Jan. 13, 1998. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. RE 3,034,605describes films which prevent higher order harmonics that prevent colorin the visible region of the spectrum. Other suitable films include thefilms described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,659, which describes a twocomponent film having a six layer alternating repeating unit thatsuppresses reflections in the visible spectrum (about 380 nm to about770 nm) while reflecting light in the infrared wavelength region ofbetween about 770 nm to about 2000 nm.

[0052] Multilayer polymeric films can include hundreds or thousands ofthin layers and may contain as many materials as there are layers in thestack. For ease of manufacturing, preferred multilayer films have only afew different materials. A preferred multilayer film, as noted above,includes alternating layers of a first polymeric material having a firstindex of refraction, and a second polymeric material of a second indexof refraction that is different from that of the first material. Theindividual layers are typically on the order of about 0.05 μm to about0.45 μm thick. Preferably, the number of individual layers in the opticfilm may preferably range from about 80 to about 1000 layers, althoughother numbers are contemplated in the present invention. In addition,the optical film may be as low as about 0.5 mil thick to as high asabout 20.0 mils thick.

[0053] The multilayer films useful in the present invention may comprisealternating layers of crystalline naphthalene dicarboxylic acidpolyester and another selected polymer, such as copolyester orcopolycarbonate, wherein each of the layers have a thickness of lessthan about 0.5 μm. Specifically, polyethylene 2,6-naphthalate (PEN),polybutylene 2,6-naphthalate (PBN), or polyethylene terephthalate (PET)are typically used. Adjacent pairs of layers (one having a high index ofrefraction and the other a low index) preferably have a total opticalthickness that is ½ of the wavelength of the light desired to bereflected. However, other ratios of the optical thicknesses within thelayer pairs may be chosen as is apparent to one having ordinary skill inthe art. A preferable optic film may be as low as about 0.5 mil havingalternating layers of PET and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA).

[0054] Although the optical film described above is particularlypreferred, any other optical film may be utilized in the presentinvention that effectively absorbs, refracts, diffuses, reflects orotherwise blocks eletromagnetic radiation of a range or a plurality ofranges of wavelengths, but transmits electromagnetic radiation ofanother range or plurality of wavelengths, such as, for example,blocking the transmission of infrared radiation, but transmittingvisible radiation, and the present invention should not be limited asherein described. Other suitable optical films may be utilized asapparent to one having ordinary skill in the art.

[0055] The present invention will now be illustrated in greater detailwith reference to the following examples, comparative examples, testexamples and use examples. As disclosed in the examples, tests andgraphs herein, the resulting inks sufficiently block IR radiation fromphototransistor detection. It is understood that the present inventionis not limited thereto. For example, one skilled in the art willappreciate that, in any of the examples, the ink may contain othermaterials for different optical effects or authentication purposes.

EXAMPLE 1

[0056] The present example includes about 2% Epolin VII-164 dye andabout 98% Tech Mark Mixing Clear, produced by Sericol, Inc. 980.0 g ofTech Mark solvent evaporative screen ink is mixed on a high-speeddisperser. While mixing, 20.0 g of Epolight VII-164 dye is dissolvedcompletely. The resulting ink has a viscosity of about 3.2 Pa.S at 25C.degrees and is printed using a screen process. The screen processincludes a 305 polymer screen onto both sides of clear PVC 13.0 milfilm.

EXAMPLE 2

[0057] The following ink was produced by adding about 15.0 lbs ofEpolight VII-164 and about 20.0 lbs of Epolight VI-30 to about 965 lbs.of TM Mixing Clear. The mixture was dispersed for about 40 minutes. Theresulting mixture was coated on PVC core plastic using an 80 line/cmpolyester screen. The resulting coating exhibited high absorbtivity from780 nm to 1070 nm with low visible absorption. Card core, magneticstripe and lamitate were assembled and the entire assembly was placed inBurckle Stack Lamination Unit at a temperature of about 280 F.

EXAMPLE 3

[0058] A concentrate of about 30.0 g. Epolight VII-172 was blended withabout 700.0 g. of polyvinylchloride plastic. The resulting mixture wasextruded at about 260F., air cooled and pelletized. About 1.0 lb of theresulting pellets were combined with about 99.0 lbs of PVC. KlocknerPentaplast provided calendered sheets of approximately 0.013 inches.Cards were fabricated using said sheets. These cards exhibitedsufficenent absorption in the IR region from 800 nm to 1000 nm. Thecards were detected by a Sankyo ATM capture device.

EXAMPLE 4

[0059] Multi-Layer PET plastic with sufficient optical properties wascombined into a card construction. The PET plastic was provided by 3MCo. (Minneapolis, Minn.), as described above. The resultant cardexhibited sufficient optics such that an ATM device detected the card.

ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES

[0060] Additional examples of IR ink formulations are disclosed in FIG.13. The IR ink examples in FIG. 13 exhibit a visible green color.Moreover, FIG. 14 shows measurements related to these exemplary cards,including, for certain wavelength ranges, transmission density, ATMreadability and ISO compliance. FIG. 15 shows exemplary test results forthe exemplary green cards wherein samples of the cards were insertedinto ATMs of various manufacturers. The tests resulted in positive ATMdetection of the exemplary cards. Furthermore, FIG. 16 shows an exampleof the transmission density of exemplary green cards in a graph ofpercent transmission v. wavelength (the graph also indicates the ISOspecifications for the card).

[0061] FIGS. 17A-17I show exemplary test results for various cardembodiments in a graph of percent transmission v. wavelength (nm). Forexample, with respect to FIG. 17A, the quality assurance of IR ink onPVC with no text is tested wherein a curve represents one of fourcorners of an exemplary card. Subsequent curves represent another cardsample which was selected after an interval of card production, such as,for example, after about 50 cards. FIG. 17B shows the percenttransmission of different wavelengths of light through cards havingdifferent ink formulations, wherein each curve represents a card with adifferent ink formulation.

[0062] FIGS. 17C-17I represent various spectra of films, coatings,cards, etc. which demonstrate the ability of the materials used in thecard constructions to block sufficient quantaties of infrared radiationand transmit visible light in order to produce cards described in theembodiement. The mechanism of blocking may be absorption, reflection,diffusion, dispersion or other methods of blocking radiation in theelectromagnetic spectrum.

[0063] In addition to the IR inks, the optically recognizable compoundmay alternatively be a film or hot mirror which also blocks (absorbs orreflects) infrared light, but transmits all other wavelengths of light.In an exemplary embodiment, the film is set between the front sheet 10and back sheet 12. FIG. 4 is a graph of energy v. wavelength for thereflection and transmission of an exemplary IR film in accordance withan exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 shows that,while the visible light is transmitted through the film, the infraredlight is blocked at higher wavelengths and a substantial amount ofinfrared light is reflected.

[0064] The optically recognizable compounds may be incorporated intoplastic products, films, products, documents or other articles which mayinhibit detection via phototransistors, CCD's, and/or the like. Thematerial can be incorporated into a transaction card via a film,plastic, printing ink, coating or other application medium by grindingor the use of dispersed or deposited material into a liquid, paste orother type of medium. To minimize environmental damage to the ink, suchas the ink being scratched, the ink is preferably applied directly ontothe plastic sheets under the laminate (described below in step 170).Moreover, the infrared ink may be applied on the inside or outsidesurface of the plastic sheets.

[0065] In an exemplary embodiment, incorporating the opticallyrecognizable compound into an article may not require a separateprinting unit, modifications to existing processing equipment or anadditional operational step. Particularly, the fabrication of thearticles, such as a transaction card, utilizes existing equipment whichincorporate colorants anyway, so the application of the opticallyrecognizable compounds to the existing colorants do not add extraequipment or steps to the process.

[0066] In a further exemplary embodiment, the optically recognizablecompounds block light which is detectable by machines. Moreparticularly, the machines suitably detect the presence of a card viainfrared interference at one or several wavelengths. In an exemplaryembodiment, detection of materials may include the production of avisual effect when the materials are interrogated with invisibleinfrared radiation from the proper instrument, and when such radiationcontacts the infrared material, a visual effect, such as a coloredlight, can be seen. Alternatively, the materials may be detected by aremote detector that will indicate the presence of the materials.Detection or authentication of the materials occurs above and below thestimulation wavelength of the reading device. As such, once theoptically recognizable material has been detected, the detection devicemay then provide the user with a positive identification signal, whichis preferably located on or near the detection device.

[0067] In an exemplary embodiment, the detection of IR materials triggerthe sensors in ATM machines. In particular, with respect to FIG. 8, thepresent invention allows for the passage of a greater percentage ofvisible light (from about 400 nm to 700 nm), which allows the card toappear translucent in nature, while allowing for the blockage of certainlight (from about 700 nm and above) to allow the phototransistors inATM's to detect that a card has been inserted into the carriagemechanism. As discussed above, an exemplary ATM sensing device includesan IRED, a filter and a phototransmitter.

[0068] In addition to triggering the sensors in ATM machines,translucent card 5 can be used with any magnetic stripe or smart cardreader. The reader system can include a card reader/writer, apoint-of-sale terminal, ATM or any other acceptance device. In anexemplary embodiment, card 5 is used in conjunction with a reader which,not only detects the existence of the card, but also illuminates thetransparent portion of card 5 when the card is inserted into the reader.The illumination source can be either an incandescent or solid statesource (infrared emitting diode or laser). In operation, when the cardis inserted into the acceptance device, the edge of the card pressesagainst the illumination assembly (or activates a switch, interrupts abeam, etc.). Depending upon the application of the card, theillumination source can be under the control of the acceptance device orexternal software. Thus, the illumination source can flash or display aparticular color if directed by the external software program.Additionally, depending on the structure of the card, the illuminationsource could be used to excite an embedded design useful for security orproduct enhancement.

[0069] As discussed above, the optically recognizable compounds may beincorporated into any type of article. An exemplary article is atransaction card which may itself include any number of numerousfeatures. In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention includes,generally, a transaction card 5 comprised of base containing opaque,transparent or translucent plastic layers 10, 12 and multiple featuresaffixed to the card 5 such as text 30, 32, 34, logos 50, embossedcharacters 35, magnetic stripe 42, signature field 45, holographic foil15, IC chip 20 and opacity gradient 25 (FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0070] Card 5 also includes an optically recognizable compound,described above, for allowing the transparent or translucent transactioncard 5 to be recognized by card reading devices, such as ATMs, and/orfor allowing the transparent transaction card 5 to be recognized andcounted during card fabrication. The optically recognizable compound ontransparent card 5 is a substantially invisible or translucent infraredink, mirror or film which blocks (absorbs or reflects) infrared lightbut transmits all other wavelengths of light (see FIG. 4). Card 5 can beused for credit, charge, debit, access, identification, informationstorage, electronic commerce and/or other functions.

[0071] With respect to FIG. 3, to fabricate card 5 having a front andback surface in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, a front sheet 10 and back sheet 12 (FIGS. 1 and 2) consistingof a plastic substrate such as, for example, clear core PVC, areproduced (step 100). One skilled in the art will appreciate that sheets10 and 12 of card 5 may be any suitable transparent, translucent and/oropaque material such as, for example, plastic, glass, acrylic and/or anycombination thereof. Each sheet 10, 12 is substantially identical and ispreferably about 3′×4′ (622 mm×548 mm) and about 0.005-0.350 inches, ormore preferably 0.01-0.15 inches or 13.5 mil thick.

[0072] With respect to FIG. 7A, the fabrication of the individual cardsheets includes either direct layout (9 layers) of film or the use of asub-assembly (5 layers). An exemplary sub-assembly consists of 5 layersof film with room temperature tack adhesive applied over thermoset andthermoplastic adhesives. The resulting cards comprise (from the cardfront towards the card back) 2.0 mil outer laminate (PVC,polyvinylchloride) having the holographic foil, embossed surface, chipand other indicia on its surface, 9.0 mil printed PVC core with printside out (card front), 2.0 mil PVC adhesive, 1.7 mil PET GS (extrusioncoated polyethyleneterephthalate—gluable/stampable) manufactured by D&K(525 Crossen, Elk Grove Village, Ill. 60007), 2.0 mil PET IR blockingfilm, 1.7 mil PET GS, 2.0 mil PET adhesive, 9.0 mil printed PVC corewith the print side out (card back), and 2.0 mil outer back laminatewith a signature panel, applied magnetic stripe and other indicia.Optimally, the PET IR blocking film is fabricated in the middle of thelayers to balance the card and minimize warping of the resulting cardproduct. Other exemplary embodiments of the layers are shown in FIGS.7B-7H.

[0073] Specifically, FIG. 7G illustrates an alternate embodiment of theindividual transaction cards. As with FIG. 7A, card sheets may beconstructed as described in FIG. 7H. Each card sheet may include ninelayers of film or the use of a five layer subassembly. The resultingcards comprise (from the card front towards the card back) about 2.0 milouter laminate (PVC) having the holographic foil, embossed surface, chipand/or other indicia on its surface, about 9.0 mil printed PVC core withprint side out (card front), about 1.0 mil oriented PVC, about 3 miladhesive (1 mil PET with 1 mil adhesive on each side), about 2.0 mil PETIR blocking film, as described above, about 3.0 mil adhesive (1 mil PETwith 1 mil adhesive on each side), about 1.0 mil oriented PVC, about 9.0mil printed PVC core with print side out (card back), and about 2.0 milouter PVC laminate comprising a signature panel, applied magnetic stripeand/or any other indicia apparent to one having ordinary skill in theart. As with the card described in FIG. 7A, the PET IR blocking film isfabricated in the middle of the layers to balance the card and minimizewarping of the resulting card product.

[0074] The adhesive layers described above with reference to FIG. 7G(the 3.0 mil adhesive) that may be disposed on either side of the 2.0mil PET IR blocking film preferably comprise a first layer of apolyester (1.0 mil PET) having second and third layers of apolyester-based adhesive disposed on either side of the first layer ofpolyester. The polyester-based adhesive layers may each be about 1.0mil. Preferably, the polyester-based adhesive layers exhibit excellentadhesion to polyester and PVC, in that it binds to both the PET IRblocking film on one side of the 3.0 mil adhesive and the 1.0 miloriented PVC layer on the other side. Specifically, a preferablematerial that may be used as the polyester-based adhesive is BemisAssociates Inc. 5250 Adhesive Film. Alternatively, another preferablymaterial that may be used as the polyester-based adhesive is TransilwrapCompany, Inc. Trans-Kote® Core Stock KRTY.

[0075] The card sheet of FIG. 7G, including the nine layers of filmand/or the use of a five layer subassembly, as described above, may beconstructed together by a lamination process as is known to someonehaving ordinary skill in the art using heat and pressure. A preferredmethod of constructing the cards as described in FIG. 7H utilizes atwo-step lamination cycle, wherein a first hot step includes laminatingthe layers of the cards together at a pressure of about 170 psi at atemperature of about 300° F. for about 24 minutes. A second stepincludes laminating the layers together at a pressure of about 400 psiat a diminished temperature of about 57° F. for about 16 minutes. Ofcourse, other methods of constructing the cards may be utilized.

[0076] Of course, other multilayer films may be utilized thatincorporate an optical film therein (as described above) for blockinglight of one or more ranges of electromagnetic radiation while allowinganother range or ranges of electromagnetic radiation to be transmittedtherethrough. The multilayer films may have any sequence of layers ofany material and thickness to form individual transaction cards asherein defined.

[0077]FIG. 7I illustrates another exemplary card sheet constructionaccording to the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 7I illustratesanother transparent or translucent card having an IR blocking opticalfilm incorporated therein, as described above with reference to FIGS. 7Aand 7G. The card sheet construction defined below may be made via acoextrusion/lamination process. Specifically, the card sheet comprises alayer of a PET IR blocking optical film (about 2.0 mils), as describedabove. An EVA-based material (about 2.0 mils) may be coextruded ontoeach side of the IR blocking film to form a 3-layer subassembly. The3-layer subassembly may then be laminated on each side to a printed PVClayer (each about 11 mils). The card may further have PVC laminatelayers (each about 2.0 mils) disposed on sides of the printed PVC layersthereby forming outside layers of the card.

[0078] Preferable materials that may be utilized as the EVA-basedmaterial that is coextruded to the PET IR blocking film are acidmodified EVA polymers. The acid modified EVA polymers may preferably beBynel® Series 1100 resins. Typically, the Bynel® Series 1100 resins areavailable in pellet form and are used in conventional extrusion andcoextrusion equipment designed to process polyethylene resins. TheBynel® Series 1100 resins have a suggested maximum melting temperatureof about 238° C. However, if adhesion results are inadequate, themelting temperature may be lowered. The remaining layers of the card maybe laminated to the card as described above, or via any other laminationprocess to form a card.

[0079] In addition, FIG. 7H illustrates another exemplary card sheetconstruction according to the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 7Hillustrates a transparent or translucent multilayer transaction cardhaving an IR blocking ink incorporated therein. The IR blocking ink maybe any ink having the characteristic of blocking IR radiation from beingtransmitted through the transaction card. Examples 1 and 2, noted above,describe two possible ink compositions that may be used. Of course,others may be used as well and the invention should not be limited asherein described.

[0080] The card sheet in FIG. 7H may comprise (from the card front tothe card back) an outer layer of about 2.0 mil PVC laminate having theholographic foil, embossed surface, chip, and/or other indicia on itssurface, about 13.0 mil printed PVC, about 2.0 mil PVC core, about 13.0mil printed PVC, and an outer layer of about 2.0 mil PVC laminatecomprising a signature panel, applied magnetic stripe and/or any otherindicia apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art. It should benoted that the PVC core layer (herein described, according to FIG. 7H,as being about 2.0 mil thick) may be optional, and may be included if athicker card is desired. Of course, the PVC core layer may be anythickness to create a transaction card having any thickness desired.These cards may be printed on the core PVC layer with IR blocking inkacross the entire surface of the layer according to the printing methodsdescribed above with respect to Examples 1 and 2, above. Of course, anyother method of printing or IR blocking ink may be utilized in thetransaction card according to the present invention.

[0081] After the card sheets are laminated, according to the methoddescribed above or via any other method, the sheets are cut intoindividual cards by a known stamping process, including any necessarycuring, burrowing, heating, cleaning, and/or sealing of the edges. Eachindividual transaction card is about 2.5″×3.0″, and therefore conform toISO standards for transaction card shape and size.

[0082] Moreover, FIG. 11 details exemplary embodiments of layers/sheetsfor card construction, including layer number, material, layer thickness(in mil), source/manufacturer of the material, comments regarding bondstrength data and total thickness (in mil). Additionally, with respectto FIG. 12A, the film bond strength is indicated on a graph of strength(lb/in) v. film bond for various film bonds. With respect to FIG. 12B,the bond strength at the film interfaces is indicated on a graph ofstrength (lb/in) v. film interface for various film interfaces.

[0083] After eventually combining the sheets (step 160), by preferablyadhering the front sheet 10 on top of the back sheet 12, the totalthickness of the transaction card 5 is about 0.032 in. (32 mil.), whichis within the ISO thickness standard for smart cards. Because the ICchip 20 is eventually embedded into the surface of the substrate (step195), and the surface of chip 20 is co-extensive with the outer surfaceof the front sheet 10, the IC chip 20 does not affect the thickness ofthe overall card 5. Moreover, the about 3′×4′ sheets include markingswhich define the boundaries of the individual cards 5 which will be cutfrom the sheet. Each exemplary sheet yields over 50 transaction cards(typically 56 cards), wherein each card 5 is within the ISO card sizestandard, namely about 2″×3.5″.

[0084] In general, an exemplary process for construction of card 5having an IR film includes chemical vapor deposition of PET film whichhas optimal visible and infrared properties (step 105). The chemicaldeposition is preformed by a Magnetron Machine manufactured by theMagnetron Company. With respect to FIG. 10, the process incorporates aroll chemical vapor deposition sputtering system with three coatingzones. The Magnetron roll vapor deposition machine deposits evaporationbatches containing Ag, Au and Indium oxide onto optical gradepolyethyleneterephthalate using chemical vapor deposition. TheAg/Au/Indium layers are about 100 angstroms each and, depending on thelower wavelength reflections, about three to five layers exist. Moredetails related to vacuum coating, solar coating and Magnetronsputtering can be found in, for example, “Handbook of OpticalProperties, Volume I, Thin Films for Optical Coatings” edited by RolfHummel and Karl H. Guenther, 1995, CRC Press, Inc, the entire contentsof which is hereby incorporated by reference.

[0085] Next, plasma or flame treatment is applied to the PET film forsurface tension reduction of the film (step 110). During the depositionand assembly of the layers, the IR film is monitored to optimize the IRblocking spectrum. Thus, the film is then tested against a standard byusing a spectrophotometer to test the visible and infrared properties ofthe PET film (step 115). With respect to FIG. 9, a reflection andtransmission monitor with various optical components for vacuumevaporation in-line roll coating operations is utilized to monitor theIR film. In-line spectrophotometric monitoring is part of the vapordeposition process. Transmission at various wavelengths is monitoredduring the entire run. A tack adhesive is applied to PET GS(polyethyleneterephthalate—gluable/stampable) (step 120) and a pressurelaminate is applied to the Indium Oxide metal surface of the PET IRblocking film (step 125). Next, a tack adhesive is applied to the PETside of the IR blocking film (step 130) and a pressure laminate isapplied to the PET GS (step 135). Exemplary lamination conditionsinclude 280F. degrees and 600 psi for 22 minutes, then cooled underpressure for about 18 minutes. A heat seal adhesive is applied to bothouter sides of the PET GS, or alternatively, a PVC adhesive is appliedto both outer sides of the PET GS (step 140).

[0086] In an exemplary embodiment, certain compounds are printed overthe surface of sheets 10 and 12. One skilled in the art will appreciatethat the printing of the text 30, 32, 34, logos 50, opticallyrecognizable ink and opacity gradient 25 may be applied to any surfaceof card 5 such as, for example, the front 10 face, the rear 12 face, theinside or outside surface of either face, between the two sheets of basematerial and/or a combination thereof. Moreover, any suitable printing,scoring, imprinting, marking or like method is within the scope of thepresent invention.

[0087] The opacity gradient 25 and optically recognizable ink areprinted onto the sheets by a silk screen printing process (step 150).With respect to the opacity gradient 25, the exemplary gradient iscomprised of a silver pearl ink gradation having an ink stippling whichis more dense at the top of card 5 and gradually becomes less dense orclear as it approaches the bottom of card 5. One skilled in the art willappreciate that the opacity gradient 25 can be any density throughoutthe gradient 25 and the gradient 25 can traverse any direction acrosscard 5 face. The opacity gradient 25 can be formed by any substancewhich can provide a similar gradient 25 on card 5. The exemplary inkgradient 25 for each card 5 is printed using known printing inkssuitably configured for printing on plastic, such as Pantone colors. Inan exemplary embodiment, the ink used for the stippling 25 is a silverpearl ink and is applied to the outside surface of each plastic sheet.Ink gradient 25 is printed on the surface of each of the sheets using asilk screen printing process which provides an opaque, heavier inkcoverage or using offset printing process which provides halftone imagesin finer detail. The words “American Express” are printed in Pantone8482 using a similar silkscreen process.

[0088] More particularly, with respect to silk screen printing, artworkcontaining the desired gradient 25 is duplicated many times to match thenumber of individual cards 5 to be produced from the sheets. Theduplicated artwork is then suitably applied to a screen by any suitableknown in the art photolithographic process and the screen is thendeveloped. The screen is placed over the sheet and ink is suitablywashed across the surface of the screen. The exposed portions of thescreen allow the ink to pass through the screen and rest on the sheet inthe artwork pattern. If multiple colors are desired, this process can berepeated for each color. Moreover, other security features areoptionally silk printed on card 5 such as, for example, an invisible,ultraviolet charge card logo (visible in black light) is printed in aduotone of Pantone 307 and 297 using offset and silk screen presses.

[0089] The text 30, 32, 34 and logo 50 are printed on the outsidesurface of each sheet by a known printing process, such as an offsetprinting process (step 155) which provides a thinner ink coverage, butclearer text. More particularly, with respect to offset printing, theartwork is duplicated onto a metal plate and the metal plate is placedonto an offset press printing machine which can print up to four colorsduring a single run. The offset printed text includes, for example, acorporate name 30, a copyright notice 33, a batch code number 34, an“active thru” date 32, contact telephone numbers, legal statements (notshown) and/or the like. The exemplary offset text is printed in 4DBC inopaque white ink or a special mix of Pantone Cool Gray 11 called UV AMXGray.

[0090] Because the resulting card 5 may be transparent, the text can beseen from both sides of card 5. As such, if the text is only printed onone sheet, the text may be obscured when viewing the text from theopposite side of card 5 (in other words, viewing the text “through” theplastic substrate). To minimize the obscuring of the text, the frontsheet 10 is printed on its outside surface with standard format text andthe back sheet 12 is printed on its outside surface with the same text,but the text is in “reverse” format. The back 12 text is aligned withthe text on the front face 10, wherein the alignment of the text isaided by card 5 outline markings on the full sheet. Certain text ordesigns which may be obscured by an compound of card 5 (magnetic stripe40, chip 20, etc.) may be printed on only one sheet. For example, in anexemplary embodiment, the corporate logo 50 is printed on only one sheetand is located behind the IC chip 20, thereby being hidden from thefront 10 view and hiding at least a portion of the IC chip 20 from theback 12 view. One skilled in the art will appreciate that any of theoffset printing can occur on the outside or inside surface of thesheets.

[0091] The sheet of laminate which is applied to the back 12 of card 5(step 170) preferably includes rows of magnetic stripes 40, wherein eachmagnetic stripe 40 corresponds to an individual card 5. The magneticstripe 40 extends along the length of card 5 and is applied to the back12 surface, top portion of card 5 in conformity with ISO standards formagnetic stripe 40 size and placement. However, the magnetic stripe 40may be any width, length, shape, and placed on any location on card 5.The two track magnetic stripe 40, including the recorded information,can be obtained from, for example, Dai Nippon, 1-1, Ichigaya Kagacho1-chome, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8001, Japan, Tel: Tokyo 03-3266-2111. Inan exemplary embodiment, the magnetic stripe is applied to the outerlaminate using a tape layer machine which bonds the cold peel magneticstripe to the outer laminate roll with a rolling hot die and at suitablepressure. The roll is then cut into sheets at the output of the tapelayer before the card layers are assembled and the stripe is fused tothe card during the lamination process.

[0092] Although prior art magnetic stripes 40 in current use are black,in a particularly exemplary embodiment, the magnetic stripe 40 of thepresent invention is a silver magnetic stripe 40. Exemplary silvermagnetic stripe 40 is 2750 oersted and also conforms to ISO standards.Moreover, the silver magnetic stripe 40 includes printing over themagnetic stripe 40. The printing on the magnetic stripe 40 can includeany suitable text, logo 50, hologram foil 15 and/or the like; however,in an exemplary embodiment, the printing includes text indicative of anInternet web site address. Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd (moreinformation about Dai Nippon can be found at www.dnp.co.jp) prints ahologram or text on the mag stripe using, for example, the Dai NipponCPX10000 card printer which utilizes dye sublimation retransfertechnology having a thermal head which does not contact the cardsurface. The card printer utilizes the double transfer technology toprint the image with the thermal head over a clear film and thenre-transferring the printed image onto the actual card media by heatroller. The printing of information on the surface of the magneticstripe 40 is preformed by, for example, American Banknote Holographics,399 Executive Blvd., Elmsford, N.Y. 10523, (914) 592-2355. Moreinformation regarding the printing on the surface of a magnetic stripe40 can be found in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,795 issued on Aug.4, 1987 to United States Banknote Company of New York, the entirecontents of which is herein incorporated by reference.

[0093] After the desired printing is complete and the magnetic stripeapplied, the front 10 and back 12 sheets are placed together (step 160),and the sheets are preferably adhered together by any suitable adheringprocess, such as a suitable adhesive. One skilled in the art willappreciate that, instead of printing on two sheets and combining the twosheets, a single plastic card 5 can be used, wherein card 5 is printedon one side, then the same card 5 is re-sent through the printer forprinting on the opposite side. In the present invention, after adheringthe sheets together, a sheet of lamination, approximately the samedimensions as the plastic sheets, namely 3′×4′, is applied over thefront 10 and back 12 of card 5. After the laminate is applied over thefront 10 and back 12 of the combined plastic sheets (step 170), card 5layers are suitably compressed at a suitable pressure and heated atabout 300 degrees, at a pressure of between 90-700 psi, with a suitabledwell time to create a single card 5 device. The aforementioned cardfabrication can be completed by, for example, Oberthur Card Systems, 15James Hance Court, Exton, Pa.

[0094] The cards may be constructed by laminating the layers togetherusing heat and pressure. For example, the transaction cards may be rolllaminated with adhesives, platen laminated, or other lamination processto laminate the cards together. Processing temperatures may range fromabout 200° F. to about 500° depending on the material used in the layersof the multilayer transaction card (such as PETG, polycarbonate, orother like materials). For PVC, the temperatures commonly range fromabout 270° F. to about 320° F. Pressures may range from about 50 psi toabout 600 psi. Processing times for laminating the transaction cards ofthe present invention may range from a few seconds (1-10 seconds, forexample if roll laminated with adhesives) to up to about an hour ifpolycarbonate is used as a material in the multilayer transaction card.For PVC materials, a hot cycle of about 20 to 30 minutes may be used.Cool cycles may last about 15 to about 25 minutes for PVC materials.

[0095] In an exemplary embodiment, and especially for IR ink cards, suchas, for example, the card described with respect to FIG. 7H, the cardlayers are fused together in a lamination process using heat andpressure. During the hot press phase, the press is heated to about 300F.degrees and the pressure builds to about 1000 psi and holds for about 90seconds. The pressure then ramps up to about 350 psi over an about 30second period and holds for 16 minutes at the same temperature, namely300F. degrees. The card is then transferred to a cold press that is atabout 57F. degrees. The pressure builds to about 400 psi and is held forabout 16 minutes as chilled water of about 57F. degrees is circulated inthe plates. The cold press then unloads the card.

[0096] With respect to FIGS. 1 and 2, after the laminate is applied, asignature field is applied to the back surface 12 of card 5 (step 175)and the holographic foil 15 is applied to the front 10 of card 5 (step190). With respect to signature field 45, although prior art signaturefields are formed from adhering a paper-like tape to the back 12 of card5, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the signaturefield 45 is a translucent box measuring about 2″ by ⅜” and is applied tothe card using a hot-stamp process. The verification of the signature insignature field 45 by the merchant is often a card 5 issuer requirementfor a merchant to avoid financial liability for fraudulent use of card5. As such, the translucent signature field 45 on the transparent card 5not only allows the clerk to view at least a portion of the signaturefield 45 from the front of the card 5, but the signature view alsoencourages the clerk to turn over card 5 and verify the authenticity ofthe signature with the signed receipt.

[0097] After the card sheets are laminated, the sheets are cut intoindividual cards 5 (step 180) by a known stamping process, including anynecessary curing, burrowing, heating, cleaning and/or sealing of theedges. The individual transaction cards 5 are about 3″×4″ and conform toISO standards for transaction card 5 shape and size. In an exemplaryembodiment, the laminated sheets of 56 cards are suitably cut in half ona guillotine device, resulting in two half-sheets of 28 cards. Thehalf-sheets are loaded onto a card punch machine which aligns the sheetsto a die (x and y axes) using predetermined alignment marks visible tothe optics of the machine. The half-sheets are then fed under the punchin seven steps. Particularly, a fixed distance feed is followed byanother optic sensor search to stop the feed at the pre-printedalignment mark, then the machine punches a row of four cards out at onetime. After die cutting and finishing according to standard processing,the IR reflection properties are verified in-line (step 185) beforeapplication of the holographic foil 15.

[0098] With respect to the application of an exemplary holographic foil,the holographic foil 15 is adhered to card 5 (step 190) by any suitablemethod. In an exemplary embodiment, a substantially square steel die,which is about 1-¼″×1-¼″ with rounded corners and a 0.0007″ crown acrossthe contacting surface, stamps out the individual foils 15 from a largesheet of holographic foil 15. The die is part of a hot stamp machinesuch that the die is sent through a sheet of foil 15, cutting the foil15 around a particular image and immediately applying the foil 15 withheat to the front 10 surface of card 5 after the card has beenlaminated. The die temperature is in the range of about 300° F.±10° F.The dwell time is approximately ½ seconds and the application speed isset based upon the individual hot stamp applicator; however, theforegoing temperature and dwell is identified for a speed of 100 cardsper minute. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,206,965; 4,421,380; 4,589,686; and4,717,221 by Stephen P. McGrew provide more details about hot stampingof a holographic image and are hereby incorporated by reference.

[0099] With respect to the holographic foil 15, the foil 15 can be anycolor, contain any hologram, can be applied to any location on card 5,and can be cut to any-size, shape and thickness. In an exemplaryembodiment, the holographic foil 15 sheet preferably includes a grayadhesive on the bottom side and a blue, mirror-like, three-dimensionalholographic surface on the top side containing numerous holographicimages about 1-¼″×1-¼″ each. The exemplary hologram includes a 360degree viewability and diffracts a rainbow of colors under white light.The full color hologram is created by, for example, American BanknoteHolographics.

[0100] The corners of the individual foil 15 are preferably rounded tominimize the likelihood that the foil 15 will peal away from the surfaceof card 5. Moreover, when applied to the card, the blue holographicsurface faces away from card 5 while the gray adhesive side is appliedto card 5 surface. The top surface of the holographic foil 15 may becreated by any suitable method such as reflection holographics,transmission holographics, chemical washing, the incorporation of mirrorcompounds and/or any combination thereof. The holographic foil 15 can befabricated by, for example, American Banknote Holographics, Inc. locatedat 1448 County Line Road, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., 19006.

[0101] The exemplary holographic foil includes various layers. Oneskilled in the art will appreciate that any ordering, combination and/orcomposition of these layers which provides a similar holographic effectis still within the scope of the present invention. In an exemplaryembodiment, the holographic transfer foil structure includes thefollowing layers: 90 gauge polyester carrier, release coat, embossableresin, vacuum deposited aluminum, tie coat and size coat. During thetransfer process, the embossable resin, vacuum deposited aluminum, tiecoat and size coat layers are deposited onto a substrate.

[0102] In an exemplary embodiment, the sheets of holographic foil 15 aretransmission holograms suitably created by interfering two or more beamsof converging light, namely an object beam and reference beam, from a 20watt Argon laser at 457.9 nm, onto a positive photoemulsion (spun coatplates using shiply photoresist). The system records the interferencepattern produced by the interfering beams of light using, for example, a303A developer. The object beam is a coherent beam reflected from, ortransmitted through, the object to be recorded which is preferably athree-dimensional mirror. The reference beam is preferably a coherent,collimated light beam with a spherical wave front 10.

[0103] The incorporation of the holographic foil 15 onto a transactioncard 5 provides a more reliable method of determining the authenticityof the transaction card 5 in ordinary white light, namely by observingif the hologram has the illusion of depth and changing colors. Thus, toallow the hologram to be viewed with ordinary, white light, when thehologram is recorded onto the transaction card 5, the image to berecorded is placed near the surface of the substrate. Moreover, thehologram is be embossed on a metalized carrier, such as the holographicfoil 15, or alternatively the hologram may be cast directly onto thetransparent plastic material. When formed on the clear plastic material,the hologram is made visible by the deposit of a visible substance overthe embossed hologram, such as a metal or ink. More informationregarding the production of holograms on chargecards 5 or the productionof holographic foil 15 can be found in, for example, U.S. Pat. No.4,684,795 issued on Aug. 4, 1987 to United States Banknote Company ofNew York or from the American Banknote Holographics, Inc. web site atwww.abnh.com, both of which are herein incorporated by reference.

[0104] In an exemplary embodiment, the application of holographic foilonto vinyl credit cards is accomplished by using a metallized creditcard foil. The foil is un-sized, metallized, embossable, abrasion, andchemical resistant hot stamping foil on a 1.0 mil (92 gauge) polyestercarrier. All of the exemplary materials are tinted with raw materialssupplier color code #563 (blue). The foil is vacuum metallized withaluminum and has an optical density range of about 1.60 to 2.00. Theoptimum foil is free of visible defects and particulate matter. The foilcontains release characteristics of about 0 to 7 grams based upon arelease testing unit having a die face of 300 F. degrees, 80 psi, 1.0seconds dwell, 0.1 seconds delay in the removal of the carrier at a 45degree angle. An exemplary base material is capable of receiving apermanent, high fidelity (based upon an embossing die of 100%, having atleast 70% diffraction efficiency) impression of the holographic imagesurface by embossing with a hard nickel die in the range of about 1600pounds per linear inch at about 100 pounds air pressure and in the rangeof about 200 to 350F. degrees die temperatures. When testing theembossibility of the base material, the testing includes a primary andsecondary image to assure the embossable coating is capable of producingan optimal secondary image.

[0105] With respect to the mechanical and chemical durability of theholographic foil, the foil resists abrasions. As such, after sizing andstamping the foil onto the vinyl credit card, the transferred hologramwithstands about 100 cycles on the Taber Abrader using CS-10 wheels andabout a 500 gram load before signs of breakthrough. The foil resistsscuffing such that the foil withstands about 6 cycles on Taber Abraderunder the same conditions without any substantial visual marks,scratches or haze. The holographic foil also resists any substantialevidence of cracking the vinyl in the hologram area when embossed on aDC 50000 encoder or an equivalent system. Moreover, the embossed,un-sized foil on the polyester carrier is capable of being stretched 15%without cracking of the base coat. Moreover, the exemplary vinyl cardwith the exemplary hologram withstands 15 minutes in an oven at 110° C.with the image clearly visible after the test. Additionally, theexemplary hologram does not show any visible effects after 5 cycles of 8hours at 0° and 16 hours at 60° C.

[0106] The exemplary holograms on the vinyl cards also resistplasticizers, alkalis, acids and solvents. In particular, the cards withholograms withstand immersion in warm liquid plasticizers (typicallydioctyl phthalate) up to the point of severe swelling of the card. Theimage on the card is not substantially affected by contact withplasticized vinyl for a period of 5 days at 60° C. With respect toalkalis, the holograms on the cards withstand approximately 1 hourimmersion in 10% ammonium hydroxide at room temperature withoutdeterioration. Moreover, the hologram does not show substantialdeterioration after 50 hours of immersion at room temperature inartificial alkaline perspiration (10% sodium chloride, 1% sodiumphosphate, 4% ammonium carbonate, and pH 8.0). With respect to acids,the exemplary holograms on the cards substantially withstandapproximately 1 hour immersion in 10% acetic acid at room temperaturewithout substantial deterioration. Moreover, the exemplary hologramsubstantially withstand, without substantial deterioration, 50 hoursimmersion at room temperature in artificial acetic perspiration (10%sodium chloride, 1% sodium phosphate, 1% lactic acid, pH 3.5).

[0107] With respect to solvents, the exemplary holograms on cardssubstantially withstand the following: ethylene glycol (100% and 50% inwater) with no substantial effects after 4 hours at room temperature,ethyl alcohol (100% and 50% in water) with no substantial effect after 4hours at room temperature, methyl ethyl ketone has no substantial effectafter 1 minute at room temperature, toluene has no substantial effect upto severe swelling of the card (30 minutes at room temperature), waterhas no substantial effect after 16 hours at 60° C. and concentratedlaundry detergent has no substantial effect after 20 hours at roomtemperature.

[0108] Moreover, the exemplary holograms on the vinyl cards do not showsubstantial effects after being washed and dried in a commercial washerand dryer inside a pants pocket at permanent press settings.

[0109] The charge card substrate is comprised of a vinyl base or othercomparable type material which is suitably capable of accepting a hotstamping of a hologram without substantially violating the presentcomposition of the hologram or its coatings. When adhering the hologramto the vinyl card, the coating exhibits a consistent blush and isuniform in color, viscosity and free of contamination. The adhesion ofthe hologram to the card is also sufficiently strong enough such thatthe application of Scotch 610 tape over the hologram which is removed ata 45° angle will not result in a significant amount of foil removed fromthe substrate.

[0110] With respect to the brightness of the image, a diffractionreading is obtained at a minimum of about 2 microwatts on theregistration blocks. Moreover, with respect to image quality, the imagesare substantially free of defects such as large spots, scratches,wrinkles, mottle, haze, and/or any other defects that substantiallydistort the image.

[0111] The final exemplary product is slit at a width of 1-{fraction(53/64)}″±{fraction (1/64)}″ and length of 10,000 images per roll.The-registration block is located no more than about {fraction (5/64)}″from the edge of the slit material. All finished rolls are wound withthe metal side facing in on a 3.0″ ID core with a maximum of 3 splicespermitted per finished reel and the registration blocks are0.125″×0.125″ square.

[0112] After stamping out the individual cards 5 and applying theholographic foil, the IC chip 20 is applied to card 5 (step 195) by anysuitable method, such as adhesive, heat, tape, groove and/or the like.More particularly, a small portion of the front 10 of card 5 is machinedout using, for example, a milling process. The milling step removesabout 0.02 mils of plastic from the front 10 surface, such that therouted hole cuts into the two core layers of plastic, but does not gothrough the last outer laminate layer of plastic, thereby forming a5235HST pocket. IC chip 20 is a 5235 palladium plated with silver,rather than the standard gold plating. IC chip 20 is applied to the cardusing a process known as “potting”. Any suitable adhesive, such as anon-conductive adhesive, is placed into the machined hole and the ICchip 20 is placed over the adhesive such that the top surface of the ICchip 20 is substantially even with the front 10 surface of card 5.Suitable pressure and heat is applied to the IC chip 20 to ensure thatthe IC chip 20 is sufficiently affixed to card 5. The IC chip 20 is anysuitable integrated circuit located anywhere on card 5. In an exemplaryembodiment, the IC chip 20 structure, design, function and placementconforms to ISO standards for IC chips 20 and smart cards 5. The IC chip20 may be obtained from, for example, Siemens of Germany.

[0113] After applying the holographic foil 15 and the IC chip 20 to card5, certain information, such as account number 35 and “active thru” 32date (not shown), are preferably embossed into card 5 (step 200) byknown embossing methods. The embossing can be completed by, for example,Oberthur Card Systems. Although any information can be embossed anywhereon card 5, in a particularly exemplary embodiment, the account numbers35 are embossed through the holographic foil 15 to reduce thepossibility of the transfer of the holographic foil 15 to a counterfeitcard 5 for fraudulent use. Additionally, although prior art cards 5include a beginning and ending validity date, the present card 5 onlyincludes an “active thru” 32 date, namely a date in which the cardexpires.

[0114] While the foregoing describes an exemplary embodiment for thefabrication of card 5, one skilled in the art will appreciate that anysuitable method for incorporating text 30, 32, 34, logos 50, embossednumbers 35, a magnetic stripe 42, a signature field 45, holographic foil15, an IC chip 20 and opacity gradient 25 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) onto asubstrate is within the scope of the present invention. Particularly,the holographic foil 15, IC chip 20, logo 50, magnetic stripe 40,signature field 45 or any other compound may be affixed to any portionof card 5 by any suitable means such as, for example, heat, pressure,adhesive, grooved and/or any combination thereof.

[0115] The present invention has been described above with reference toan exemplary embodiment. However, those skilled in the art having readthis disclosure will recognize that changes and modifications may bemade to the exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of thepresent invention. For example, various steps of the invention may beeliminated without altering the effectiveness of the invention.Moreover, other types of card fabrication, encoding and printing methodsmay be used such as dye sublimation retransfer technology and/or doubletransfer technology developed by Dai Nippon Printing Company of Japan.These and other changes or modifications are intended to be includedwithin the scope of the present invention, as expressed in the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A transaction card comprising: a first layercomprising a first polymer wherein the first layer further comprises amachine recognizable compound; a second layer extrusion coated to saidfirst layer, wherein said card is transparent or translucent.
 2. Thecard of claim 1 wherein the first layer comprises an optical filmwherein said optical film is machine recognizable.
 3. The card of claim2 wherein said optical film comprises a plurality of layers.
 4. The cardof claim 2 wherein said optical film comprises a first layer of a firstpolymeric material having a first index of refraction and a second layerof a second polymeric material having a second index of refraction thatis different from the first material.
 5. The card of claim 2 whereinsaid optical film blocks infrared radiation from being transmittedthrough the plurality of layers but allows visible light to betransmitted through the plurality of layers.
 6. The card of claim 4wherein the optical film comprises a plurality of layers wherein saidfirst polymeric material and said second polymeric material alternate.7. The card of claim 1 wherein said second layer comprisesethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.
 8. The card of claim 7 wherein saidethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer is acid modified.
 9. The card of claim1 further comprising: a third layer extrusion coated to the first layerwherein said third layer is an acid-modified ethylene-vinyl acetatecopolymer.
 10. The card of claim 9 further comprising: a fourth layercomprising polyvinylchloride laminated to the second layer.
 11. The cardof claim 10 further comprising: a fifth layer comprisingpolyvinylchloride laminated to the third layer of acid-modifiedethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.
 12. The card of claim 11 furthercomprising: a first outer layer comprising polyvinylchloride laminatedto the fourth layer of polyvinylchloride.
 13. The card of claim 12further comprising: a second layer comprising polyvinylchloridelaminated to the fifth layer of polyvinylchloride.
 14. A method ofmaking a card comprising the steps of: providing a first layercomprising a machine readable compound; coextruding a second layer tosaid first layer, wherein said card is transparent or translucent. 15.The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of: coextruding athird layer to said first layer.
 16. The method of claim 14 wherein saidsecond layer comprises acid-modified ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.17. The method of claim 15 wherein said third layer comprisesacid-modified ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.
 18. The method of claim15 further comprising the step of: laminating a first polyvinylchloridelayer to said second layer.
 19. The method of claim 18 furthercomprising the step of: laminating a second polyvinylchloride layer tosaid third layer.
 20. A card comprising: a plurality of layers wherein afirst layer comprises a first polymer and a second layer comprises asecond polymer wherein the second layer further comprises a machinerecognizable compound, wherein said plurality of layers is transparentor translucent and further wherein said plurality of layers arelaminated together.
 21. The card of claim 20 wherein the second layercomprises an optical film wherein said optical film is machinerecognizable.
 22. The card of claim 21 wherein said optical filmcomprises a plurality of layers.
 23. The card of claim 21 wherein saidoptical film comprises a first layer of a first polymeric materialhaving a first index of refraction and a second layer of a secondpolymeric material having a second index of refraction that is differentfrom the first material.
 24. The card of claim 21 wherein said opticalfilm blocks infrared radiation from being transmitted through theplurality of layers but allows visible light to be transmitted throughthe plurality of layers.
 25. The card of claim 24 wherein the opticalfilm comprises a plurality of layers wherein said first polymericmaterial and said second polymeric material alternate.
 26. The card ofclaim 21 further comprising: a third layer of a third polymer whereinsaid first and third layers form outside surfaces of said card.
 27. Thecard of claim 26 wherein said first and third layers comprisepolyvinylchloride.
 28. The card of claim 26 further comprising a fourthlayer of a printed polymeric material disposed between said first andsecond layers.
 29. The card of claim 28 wherein said fourth layercomprises printed polyvinylchloride.
 30. The card of claim 28 furthercomprising a fifth layer of a fifth polymer disposed between said fourthand second layers.
 31. The card of claim 30 wherein said fifth layercomprises oriented polyvinylchloride.
 32. The card of claim 30 furthercomprising: a sixth layer of a sixth polymer disposed between said fifthlayer and said second layer.
 33. The card of claim 32 wherein said sixthlayer comprises a polyester having an adhesive disposed on each side ofsaid polyester.
 34. The card of claim 21 wherein said optical film isdisposed in the center of the plurality of layers.
 35. The card of claim20 wherein said second layer comprises a film having an ink disposedthereon wherein said ink is machine recognizable.
 36. The card of claim35 wherein said ink in printed onto said second layer.
 37. The card ofclaim 35 wherein said ink comprises an infrared radiation blockingmaterial but allows visible light through the plurality of layers. 38.The card of claim 35 further comprising a third layer of a third polymerwherein said first and third layers form outside surfaces of said card.39. The card of claim 38 wherein said first and third layers comprisepolyvinylchloride.
 40. The card of claim 38 further comprising: a fourthlayer of a fourth polymer disposed between said first and second layers.41. The card of claim 39 wherein said fourth layer comprises printedpolyvinylchloride.
 42. The card of claim 35 wherein said second layer isdisposed in the center of the plurality of layers.
 43. A method ofmaking a card comprising the steps of: bonding a plurality of layerstogether wherein said plurality of layers comprises a first layer of afirst polymer and a second layer of a second polymer wherein said secondlayer comprises a machine readable compound and further wherein saidplurality of layers are transparent or translucent.
 44. The method ofclaim 43 further comprising the steps of: applying a pressure of about170 psi and a temperature of about 300° F. in a first step to theplurality of layers for a period of about 24 minutes; and applying apressure of about 400 psi and a temperature of about 57° F. in a secondstep to the plurality of layers for a period of about 16 minutes. 45.The method of claim 44 wherein said second layer comprises an opticalfilm wherein said optical film is machine recognizable.
 46. The methodof claim 43 further comprising the steps of: applying a pressure ofabout 1000 psi and a temperature of about 300° F. in a first step to theplurality of layers for a period of about 90 seconds; applying apressure of about 350 psi and a temperature of about 300° F. in a secondstep to the plurality of layers for a period of about 16 minutes; andapplying a pressure of about 400 psi and a temperature of about 57° F.in a third step to the plurality of layers for a period of about 16minutes.
 47. The method of claim 46 wherein said second layer comprisesa machine recognizable ink.